


Sweet Dreams - You Sweet, Weird, Kid

by TinkerBella



Category: Midnight Texas (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 10:38:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15435222
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinkerBella/pseuds/TinkerBella
Summary: This is pretty much an insert set sometime after Hightower dies.  Basically Xylda says some things to her Grandson that should have been said while she was still alive.  And I explore Manfred's possible bloodline and tap into how the show has mentioned, several times, how strong and powerful he really is.  I just don't think anyone's bothered to inform Manfred yet.  Hee





	Sweet Dreams - You Sweet, Weird, Kid

Manfred was tired.

 

His house was cleansed of spirits and inhospitable to the dead, all thanks to Fiji. The demon under his floor was gone and the Rev was back to his *human* self, with a month to go before another full moon. The Vampires were also vanquished, along with the Sucubus, and Manfred no longer had to look over his shoulder in fear that Hightower would appear. Which meant that, for the moment, Midnight was quiet. Quiet enough for a nap.

 

Standing in the kitchen, Manfred debated curling up on his comfortable bed in the bedroom, but in the end he made his way out of the house and into the RV. Tossing back a triple dose of pain pills with a whiskey chaser, in the hopes of demolishing his migraine, Manfred let his aching body collapse on the bed in the back and closed his eyes. He felt around for a blanket and draped it over himself haphazardly.

 

It took a few minutes for the pills to kick in, but once they did and the ice pick stabbing pain behind his eyes muted down to a dull throb, Manfred found himself drifting in shadows, but they were spirit free shadows for once. Or, they were, until Xylda appeared at the end of the bed by his feet. Manfred didn't even bother to open his eyes.

 

"Hey, Grandma," he mumbled.

 

"Three pills and a whiskey chaser...are you trying to kill yourself, Manny?" Xylda countered, not even trying to hide her exasperation.

 

Manfred huffed a put upon sigh. "I'm trying to SLEEP, Grandma, but at this point dead would work okay too." He was weary to the bone and desperate for a moment of peace and quiet, a moment that would only be achieved once he was deeply unconscious.

 

That response made Xylda angry and she snapped back, "You think your head hurts now? You're just lucky I can't smack you for saying such a thing!"

 

"You wouldn't hit me if you could," Manfred countered, with a sleepy chuckle. Since the day his mom had dropped him off at his Grandma's, Xylda had been firm and honest with him, and tough when she needed to be, but she had never raised a hand to him in anger, or for any other reason. Not even when he had probably needed some sense slapped into him. Besides which, she totally could hit him if she wanted to.

 

"Consider yourself lucky that it's too late for me to change my ways," Xylda replied. She couldn't argue with Manny because he was right. He had been a handful right from the start and she had been ill-prepared to care for him in the beginning, but Manny had become her whole world and she wouldn't change a single moment of their time together. Well...mostly.

 

Flopping a hand in her general direction, Manfred mumbled, "Sure, Grandma...whatever you say." The shadows swirling around him were slowly shading into black and he was drifting away. Xylda's presence was comforting...grounding...so Manfred let himself slip deep into slumber.

 

Xylda was content to watch him sleep for a spell, resisting the urge to smooth a lock of hair off his forehead. When Manny was younger, if he was sick or hurting, he would lay with his head in her lap and she would comb her fingers through his ridiculously thick and soft curls. Curls that she knew her Grandson hated and spent his whole life smoothing out, but she loved them. Loved him.

 

Knowing that Manfred was deeply asleep, thanks to the pills and the whiskey, Xylda took the opportunity to share some things she should have told him while she was still alive.

 

"I wish I was brave enough to apologize to you, Manny," Xylda spoke softly, but a part of her hoped it was loud enough for his subconscious to hear her. "I made you come here to Midnight under false pretenses, and it's making my spirit hurt." Xylda paused when Manny stirred and rolled onto his side, only to settle again - still asleep.

 

"I should tell you why you have to be here, Manny," Xylda continued. "Why I lured you to this place. But I want you to learn why Midnight is so special, for yourself. I want you to choose to save it because you want to, not because you have to. You need family, Manny, and you'll find them here in Midnight, hell...you've already made a head start. Here in Midnight, you'll have the home you always deserved but never even knew you wanted. My heart wants that for you."

 

Xylda took a moment to study her Grandson as she considered her next words. He wouldn't hear them, but at least she could say them. "I've got to come clean with you about something, Manny. I'm a coward and a liar and you've suffered for it. I want you to know that I'm sorry about it...and for what's to come. I'm afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better."

 

Manfred stirred again, huffing a soft sigh before snuffing his face into the pillow and going still again. 

 

Chuckling softly to herself, Xylda resisted the urge to tuck the blanket around him. Manny had always been a restless sleeper as a kid, and it had been a nightly ritual for Xylda to untwist his blankets and smooth them back over him as he slept on.

 

"I've never really said this to you, Manny," Xylda continued, as she shook off the memories of the past to face the here and now. "But I should have. I should have told you how much your faith and trust. and your belief in me, meant the world. Even though I never deserved it. It made me feel as powerful as I led you to believe I was. Truth be told...you're the one who's powerful, Manny. More powerful than I ever wanted you to know, because with great power comes great responsibility and I didn't want that for you. Hell, I still don't. But I can't change destiny, Manny. Although I would if I could...for you."

 

"You were unique from the day you were born. The moment you opened your eyes, I knew you could see what no one else could." Pausing, Xylda let herself drift back in time. "You were so strong and so young, I swear you got stronger by the minute. That's why I made you hide it and suppress it. You see, kid...you could do things at ten years old that even I didn't understand, and don't get me started about when you hit puberty and your full powers started coming in. All hell started breaking loose until I gave you great, great, great Aunt Hester's suppression rings. Good thing she was a big woman and you were always a skinny thing so they fit you. But even with the rings I could always feel the power seeping out of you. I can feel it even now."

 

Rising from her perch on the bed, Xylda gave in to the urge to straighten the twisted blanket into smoothness over her Grandson's lean form. "My vision of what's to come, Manny...it's terrifying...and maybe, if I had it to do over again, maybe I would have spent the past 15 years training you how to use your powers instead of avoiding them. I take a bit of comfort in the fact that I know you've read all of our Bandero family journals and books, even though you scoffed and called them stupid bedtime stories." Giving in to another urge, Xylda let her fingers smooth a dark curl off her Grandson's forehead. "I'd watch you all those nights you hid under your covers with a flashlight, reading every damn word of the books that were in English."

 

"Those stories will help you save Midnight, Manny," Xylda continued. "Because that's your destiny, although it won't be the end of your journey. No...you becoming the savior of Midnight is just the beginning. I saw it clear as day and it's in written in our family history. You, Manny, are destined to become the most powerful psychic medium in two millennium. The first male child in centuries to possess the powers of our pure blood line, and you know how rare that is because you read all the stories. You know our history and you know what it means, even though we've both been in denial for far too long. It won't be easy for you, and you'll never have anything even close to resembling a "normal" life, which makes me sad for you. And it also makes me regret that I didn't raise you to embrace who you really are, Manny."

 

"That's my one, true, regret. That I taught you to hide, suppress and even fear your powers. In my defense, however, a part of me was terrified that I wasn't strong enough to help you to control them, and that you'd end up locked in a padded room for the rest of your life. My faith in you should have been stronger, and I'm sorry it wasn't. Lucky for you, here in Midnight, you'll find the support you need so you can embrace your powers and find peace in who you really are."

 

Bending down to brush a kiss to her Grandson's temple, Xylda had one last thing to say before leaving him to his rest. "You were the best thing that ever happened to me, Manny. Every minute we had together was a treasure. So...sweet dreams you sweet, weird, kid. You've got one hell of an adventure ahead of you."

 

THE END


End file.
